Rin's Wisdom
by dietcokemaniac
Summary: Rin gets her wisdom teeth pulled-all four of them! It's up to Hatsuharu to take care of the stubborn Rin. But sometimes, pulling teeth goes further than just the mouth. Haru/Rin. Rated T for the second chapter on.
1. Chapter 1

Pulling Teeth

Rin bit the inside of her cheeks and looked to Hatsuharu. She knew that he was being more than generous, as always, and he was paying for her wisdom tooth removal. She wasn't open with her Aunt, but she did let Haru know everything. So here the couple was, in Dr. Amborski's office of oral surgery. It was the day of her wisdom teeth removal, and she was anxious. She didn't want Haru to see that, though.

In Rin's mind, she was attempting to fantasize what it would be like to cling to Haru and ask him for comfort right now. His gentle honey colored eyes would meet hers as he cupped her chin and made her meet his eyes gently. He would give her a determined look and say 'Rin, you'll be just fine. I'll make sure of that.'

Meantime, Haru decided to think about what it would be like if Rin admitted her anxiety for once. She would blush with a combination of shame and anxiety as her chocolate orbs met his. He loved her dearly, and he loved it when she blushed. Unfortunately, nothing could be seen for now; Rin had covered her face with her long hair.

Haru knew that Rin was on the verge of panicking, and he knew that she never spoke to him about her emotions until it was too late. He decided to let her run her emotional course. As he observed how Rin covered her expression with her hair. She leaned forward into her book, pretending to ignore Haru. He decided to break the ice with a question.

"Rin, how are you doing?"

"I-I'm fine, Haru. Unless you can't tell…I thought that you could…how did you put it…'see right through me.'"

Haru's mouth curled up in a knowing crescent as he nodded.

"OK, Rin, I was just checking. Oh, and another thing…"

Rin cringed at what she knew was coming next. She hated the emotional conversations that Haru started all the time.

"I love you, and I want you to know that if you need my support, I will be here for you."

Rin concealed the blush crossing her face. A combination of anxiety and guilt over lying, her expression was sure to give away her true emotions towards the procedure that was bout to take place.

"Isuzu Sohma?"

A nurse poked her head out from behind the burgundy door of Dr. Amborski's office, and Rin jumped a little. Haru tried to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she refused his affection, as usual. He sighed and simply went back to reading his magazine as Rin followed the nurse into the office silently. Haru watched as his angel swayed her hips and slowly followed the nurse to her surgery. He made a promise to himself that after the surgery, he wouldn't leave her side.

Rin followed the nurse into the dimmed surgery room, trying to think about what it would feel like to be put under for this surgery. She knew that if she was awake, she couldn't hold still for the Novocain shots. She always had a problem with doctors and hospitals. She didn't want to recall that painful day in her mind just now, because she had to prepare herself to be sedated.

Dr. Amborski came in and gave Rin a smile.

"OK, Rin, are you ready now?"

Rin nodded, trying to block out the fluttering of her heart.

"Then please lie down and let me put in this IV. Relax your arm…"

Rin cringed as the familiar feeling of an IV being slipped into her vein spread throughout her arm. She attempted to count down from 100 just as Dr. Amborski instructed, but she knew that she was about to slip into a world of blackness.

Haru watched as a nurse wheeled Rin out of the surgery in a wheelchair. He couldn't help but be slightly amused as Rin muttered to herself in an almost comical fashion. She kept jabbering on about an apple pie recipe that her aunt baked every fall.

"OK, Mr. Sohma-"Hatsuharu."

"Hatsuharu, Isuzu is still slightly sedated, so you must take care of her for at least 24 hours post-op. Now, here is a packet of instructions, and make sure that she takes all of her antibiotic doses. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call our offices for further instructions."

Haru took Rin's hand and squeezed gently, looking into her face for any signs of pain.

"OK, Nurse Yuki, thank you for your time. I'll lead you to the car."

Haru had driven Rin home to their house and looked upon her before he took her out of the car and to the bedroom. He saw that when Rin was asleep and not sulking or yelling, she looked like an angel at rest. He couldn't help but place a kiss on her forehead before scooping her up in his arms and carrying her into the house.

Rin woke up to the sound of pills being sorted. She listened to the shifting and dropping of pills into a plastic container. Turning her head to the light that silhouetted Haru's form, Rin saw her lover of 5 years sorting out painkillers and looking at her every few minutes. Upon seeing that Rin had woken up, Haru stopped his sorting and took Rin's hand.

"Hello, princess. How are you doing?"

Rin tried to pull her mouth into a scowl but flinched at the immediately unpleasant shock of pain that radiated throughout her chin, cheeks, and jaw. Haru noticed this and sighed.

"Yeah, the painkillers should be taken now. Along with the antibiotics."

Rin couldn't refuse the painkillers and let Haru hand her the pill and a glass of water. Rin had a hard time admitting that she needed Haru's help to put something in her mouth. She felt as though she couldn't open her mouth for fear of pain.

Hatsuharu would never say this to anybody else but Rin, and for fear of getting slapped, he decided to keep it to himself for the time being, but Rin looked like an adorable child when she was in this state.

"OK, Rin, can you take this pill?"

Rin reluctantly shook her head. Haru smiled gently and offered to help her. She blushed and let him hold her chin gently as he put the pill in. He put the cup of water to her lips. She swallowed slowly as Haru tipped the cup just so. She blushed deeply as Haru praised her.

"Good Rin."

Had she been in any other state, she would have smacked his hand away and narrowed her eyes at him. She could just imagine what she would have said to him now.

_Haru I don't need you to __**baby **__me!_

But as Rin focused on her lover's face, she also imagined his response, calm and cool despite her poison tongue.

_Awww, but I love to baby you, Rin. You're such a sad looking girl today. I thought you needed some love._

"Rin? What're you thinking about?"

Haru's question made Rin snap back to reality and she shrugged her shoulders in order to avoid an embarrassing dialogue with Haru. He shook his head as if Rin were being stubborn and simply took the situation as it was without complaint as usual. Rin would have to open up to him eventually; he was to be her caretaker for the next 24 hours.

Later that evening, Rin noted that Haru was in the kitchen preparing food for her. She was in pain, but she didn't want to burden Haru with something else on his list of chores to do. Taking care of somebody was no easy task, and Rin knew this well.

As Haru came into the room, carrying the plate of food for Rin to eat, she noticed that he looked dashing as ever in his gothic sweater with many straps on the sleeves and his tight black slacks. His boots were as tall as ever, and Rin wondered how he could manage to run around all day wearing them.

"OK, Rin, say aahh."

Rin couldn't help but turn her head away in a moment of defiance as Haru scooped up a small spoonful of baby food for Rin to eat. She didn't want Haru feeding her; she could do it on her own!

"Don't be a stubborn Rin. Come now, just say aahh."

Rin sighed and found that she could only open her mouth to the point where a small spoonful of food could fit. She didn't want to admit to Haru that if he wasn't there, she wouldn't be eating at all. She simply decided to take this as an act of generosity and let Haru feed her for a few bites before he offered her some milk.

She couldn't believe that Haru was being so paternal as he praised her for letting him feed her and give her milk when she was finished.

"Good girl. Now, do you want to sleep soon? I'll go do the dishes and then sleep next to you. You never know if you'll need me for the night."

Rin didn't say anything as Haru got up and did the dishes for a few minutes before coming back into the room, taking off his shirt as he usually did before he slept, and asking Rin a vital caretaker's question.

"OK, Rin, are you still in pain?"

She shook her head in an attempt to lessen the burden that her lover had to bear that day. She would regret her lying later.

Haru lay next to Rin in order to sleep for the night. The lights were out, and Haru was attempting to stroke Rin's hair soothingly. She kept shaking her head and burying her face into her hands to avoid causing herself further pain. Haru's hair-stroking wasn't unwelcome or even unappreciated, but at this point, it would make her cry out in pain.

"Rin, you're hiding. Are you upset? Please, tell Haru what's wrong."

_Again with the third person! It's like I'm five!_

Rin then heard her conscience speaking to her. She never told Haru this, but that voice in the back of her head, the angel on her shoulder, sounded exactly like his voice.

_**But if you lie about being in pain, then doesn't that make you five?**_

"Rin?"

Haru lovingly pulled Rin's delicate hands away from her swelling face and cupped her cheek gently. She couldn't help the moan of both relief and aching in her jaw as Haru looked her in the face.

"You're in pain. I knew it."

"H-Haruu…"

Rin still couldn't speak quite clearly, but Haru understood her simply by the slight whimper in her voice. He didn't want her to be afraid at all, but he didn't want her lying either. .He would simply have to teach her not to lie to him about such important matters.

"Rin, you lied."

Rin backed away from him as he sat up in bed and looked down at her with sad, clover honey eyes.

"Rin, it hurts me to think that you wouldn't be honest with me about how you're doing."

Rin bit her lip and avoided his eyes as he got up, filled a cup with water, and brought to her an antibiotic and a painkiller capsule.

"Rin, after you tell me why you lied, I will give you the pills you need for the night."

Rin squeezed the sheets around her and tried to be honest in her answer. But the moment she told him why she lied, she felt more like a five-year-old than ever before.

"Haruuu, I only…didn't want to bother you…"

Haru sighed and handfed her the pills. He climbed into bed next to her and turned on the lamp next to the bed. After he did this, he cupped Rin's swelling face once more and asked softly,

"Rin, why do you think that being honest with me about your pain is somehow 'a bother?'"

Rin bit her lip and tried to block out Papa's voice yelling at her.

"_We never needed a problem like you!"_

Rin couldn't help the tears that started flowing at that point. Haru, knowing that the tears were not from physical pain, simply held her as she tearfully slurred out the answer.

"I-I'm a bad Rin…bad problem…"

Haru felt his heart being pulled every which way as Rin began to sob. He sat up, pulled Rin onto his lap, and cradled her as she let out her sobs.

"I-I'm sorry…I lied, just don't be mad…"

Haru kissed Rin's forehead before he cleared his throat and requested something of Rin in a gentle yet firm tone.

"Rin, look up at me. Right here, in my eyes."

Rin always had trouble with this task, but she managed to find her lover's gentle clover honey orbs. She felt her heart speed up as Haru spoke directly to her.

"You are not, never was, and never will be…a bad Rin or a problem. Do you understand that?"

Rin nodded, tracing Haru's bare chest and trying to forget the twisting feeling in her stomach. Haru let her do this, knowing that she could never stare into his eyes for long. He simply waited until she had stopped sniffling and moaning in pain before letting her lay back down.

"H-Haruu?"

Rin asked, knowing that the drug was already taking effect.

"Yeah?"

"I…love you…"

Haru didn't have to have night vision to know that Rin's face was bright pink with a slight shame at her 'confession' of her love to him. It was a rare sentiment from the strong-willed and prideful woman, but Haru knew that every time she did say it, it was from the heart.

"And I still love you. I always have, honey."

Rin smiled at the pet name and fell into a peaceful night of sleep next to her warm Haru.


	2. Chapter 2

Take it Easy, Rin

Haru woke before Rin to check her state upon waking. She slept soundly for the first time in ages, Haru noted. Rin stirred slightly after only a few minutes of Haru being awake. She couldn't help the look of pain on her face as sunlight streamed in through the closed blinds on Haru's side of the bed. He gently put his hand on her shoulder and smiled down at her warily. He knew that at this point, it wouldn't come across as a shock if Rin climbed out of bed and rushed to wash herself up for another day.

"I'm fine, Haru."

Rin said in her normally flat tone as she climbed over him and strode into the bathroom. Haru sighed as he heard the usual sounds of Rin getting ready for the day. She came out in ten minutes time, fully clothed but looking tired. She had a look of irritation on her pretty face, as though there were an unpleasant taste in her mouth. Haru only took a couple of seconds to connect the dots; Rin had caused herself to bleed in a rushed state. Haru didn't bring this up with her right away and waited to see what she would try to do next.

"You're really pissing me off, staring like that."

"Oh, sorry, Rin."

Haru decided that if Rin didn't feel comfortable with him observing her, he would wash up himself and try to make them breakfast. He got ready quickly as usual and tossed on some relaxed jeans and a T shirt for the day.

He came out of the bathroom, trying to think about what he could make for Rin, when he heard a curse from the kitchen.

"OW Shit!"

After that he heard whimpering.

"Owww..."

He sighed, knowing that Rin had taken rash action and attempted to feed herself some oatmeal, which was hot. Haru shook his head, tried to keep the knowing smile off of his face, and approached a moaning Rin. He looked at the steaming bowl of instant oatmeal before his lover. Rin's blood was in the bowl, and it wasn't a great amount, but it was still enough to concern him. He sat next to her and cleared his throat.

"You tried to feed yourself some hot food, but the dentist told me not to give you anything too hot or cold. He said that it would cause bleeding because of the clot."

Rin groaned as Haru gently wiped her mouth with a moist, cool washcloth after a few moments. She found it to be soothing yet embarrassing. Haru understood this and didn't say anything as Rin pushed his hand away a few times before accepting his affections.

"You know better now, Rin. Just don't try anything hot or cold without asking me, OK?"

"I'm not fiwe!"

Rin hissed almost incoherently. Haru shook his head and waited for Rin to stop seething before answering to her tantrum.

"Rin, I know you're old enough to take care of yourself. I'm not doing this to make fun of you or make you ashamed. Just listen. I was told to take care of you for the next day or two. I can see now that for the time being, you need somebody to take care of you. Please, Rin? Don't make this painful for me. I want to take care of you. This isn't a burden for me, OK? Be careful."

Haru got up and started to make warm mashed potatoes with butter as he continued his lecture softly.

"Because Rin, it's going to be painful for both of us if you keep up this attitude."

Rin bit her lip and tried to calm herself before answering.

"Haru?"

"Yeah?"

"S-Sorry."

Haru nodded and continued to cook Rin's breakfast. He knew that by now, she could spoon the food to herself. He tried to resist his urge to coo at his baby girl as she adorably ate and slightly spilled some of the mush onto her clothes. After they ate, Haru left Rin to do what she wanted for the morning.

* * *

><p>At lunch, Haru noted that Rin didn't come to the table when he called to her that lunch was ready. This concerned him to some degree and he went to search for her. In the bedroom, Haru saw a sight most unpleasant. Rin was on the floor, rocking in a ball. Haru rushed to her side and shook her to see if she was fully conscious.<p>

"RIN! Are you OK?"

Rin startled awake and stared into Haru's concerned orbs of honey.

"Rin, what is it?"

"I...feel so dizzy. And my mouth won't stop hurting..."

"What did you do?"

"I...took the painkillers."

"Rin, how much?"

Rin knew that if she told Haru that she had just taken two pills instead of one, he would fly off the handle. She tried to think about what Hatori had told her earlier that week about painkiller overdoses.

"Rin, if you take two pills when the dose is only one, expect to wake up in three hours. Just follow the dose instructions..."

Rin looked up at Haru, who was starting to get irritated.

"Rin, come on, can you remember what you did?"

"Took I two."

Rin stuttered, finding her ability to speak properly hindered.

"The dose is one-shit!"

Haru caught Rin as she fell into a sleep that was sudden and deep. He decided to pick up the phone and call Hatori immediately.

* * *

><p>Hatori had told Haru to calm down when he had dialed his number because he had turned black, shouting at the startled doctor.<p>

"Look, just let Rin sleep it off. If she had taken any more, I would recommend that you take her to the ER or call an ambulance. But really, Haru, it's not fatal as is. Just calm down and be sure to monitor her drug intake for the rest of the week. I don't want her overdosing."

"Fine!"

Haru had slammed the phone down onto the receiver. When Rin woke up, he would give her quite the talking-to.

* * *

><p>Rin woke up to Haru's sighing. She didn't think that he would mind so much if she just took one extra painkiller, but apparently, he was upset. His eyes scanned the room and rested on her. Upon seeing that his lover was awake, Haru felt both relieved and annoyed at what she had done earlier.<p>

"Rin, can you understand me?"

"Y-Yea...Haruu."

"OK, then, listen well. I am not going to tell you this again. From now on, if you need pain relief, come to me, and do not take your medicine without my supervision. Hatori's orders, not mine. Quite frankly, I agree with him 100%"

Rin groaned in both pain, grogginess, and annoyance at Haru's paternal sternness. He got up, left the bedroom for a couple of minutes, and came back carrying a cool, moist washcloth. Rin thought back to what he had done earlier and cringed, knowing that this was the most childish that Haru would ever make her feel. But he didn't seem to care, or show her that he cared, as he started to gently wipe her face gently. He cupped her chin with one hand and wiped her with the other, making sure that he didn't cause her any more significant pain. As he looked into Rin's swollen face, he saw in her eyes some fear and shame. He stopped what he was doing to talk to her for a moment before continuing.

"Rin, look right here."

Rin lifted her eyes to meet his and didn't see any anger as she had anticipated. This made her relax to some degree before Haru began his lecture.

"Rin, I don't want to see you in that state again. Ever. I want to make sure that you recover and don't hurt yourself in the process. You and I both know that because of your stubborn nature, you can't patiently heal. That's why I took it upon myself to take care of you. But because you insist on endangering yourself by overdosing on drugs, eating things you know you shouldn't...I have to be firm. Do you understand that?"

Rin nodded, allowing Haru access to her swollen chin. He lovingly washed her face for a few more moments before he stopped completely and asked her if she felt better. Embarrassed and humbled, Rin could only nod. Haru lay next to her after putting the washcloth back in the sink. He looked at his slightly helpless lover and felt a bit of sympathy towards her. She wasn't at all a terrible person, and she only wanted to be independent. That's what concerned him so.

Haru decided to whisper something to Rin that was very important for her to hear.

"Rin, there is something that I will tell you over and over again."

He put his lips to her ear and gently swept her hair out of her eyes.

"I love you dearly."

Rin couldn't help the tears of regret that flowed down her cheeks. Haru gently shushed her and rubbed her back as she let out her pain. He knew that she didn't let out her emotions nearly enough to be healthy, and so when she did cry, Haru made sure that he was gentle towards her. He petted her hair until she had relaxed enough to rest for the afternoon and left her to doze off as he cleaned up the kitchen. He would save her lunch plate for dinner that evening.


	3. Chapter 3

Brand New Day

Rin's face had swelled considerably in the next two days, and her pain was subsiding a bit. Haru had been most kind and didn't mention anything about the fact that Rin now looked like an adorable chipmunk. He tried his hardest to maintain a firm and gentle composure around Rin, mainly because for half of her day, she was high on painkillers. She approached Haru in one of her states one evening as he was finishing his college essay. Haru tried to focus on writing his final paragraph when Rin stumbled upon him.

"Oh, hi..."

"Rin, how are you feeling?"

"I want a bath."

"Should I draw the water for you?"

Rin nodded, unable to find the bath soap in her current state of mind.

"You do realize that I can't let you be too far from me when you're on these painkillers, Rin. Hatori told me that if you wanted to take a bath, I should monitor you-we don't want you falling asleep in the tub."

Rin, who normally would have either consented because she was aroused or slapped him because she was in a bad mood, didn't say anything in response and simply let Haru lead her into the bathroom. He filled the tub with scented bath salts and set up Rin's soaps and hair products to use while she bathed. After he did this, he left Rin alone to undress and get in the tub behind the frosted door as he got a book to read.

Upon returning, Haru found that Rin had gotten into the tub but had not closed the frosted shower door. He proceeded to do so himself when Rin caught his arm.

"Haruu. No...I wanna talk...please."

"OK, Rin, what is it you want to talk about?"

"Anything..."

Rin was starting to yawn, and Haru realized that he wasn't going to be reading a single page of the book that he had brought in.

"Alright, um...how about what you want to do after you recover."

"Mmm...go someplace with you. You remember how, when we were kids, we just talked about where we wanted to go someday..."

Haru nodded thoughtfully, recalling a stunning autumn day when Rin had come to him from her parent's house. He did not yet know what was happening behind closed doors at the time, but from the bruises that Rin bore on her arms that day, he was starting to suspect something...

_Haru, at the time 12 years old, watched as Rin approached him after school. He realized that upon her daily visits, Rin appeared exhausted yet willing to stay over at his house until dark. He didn't mind at all and let her into his home when they arrived there. Before he let her in, Haru took a good look at Rin. _

_She was thinner than the months before, and Haru didn't want to bring it up with her, but something was concerning about the way she walked and how pale she was. _

_"Rin? You want my mom to make us some cookies?"_

_Rin nodded once, ignoring Haru's quick steps as he ran into the kitchen to tell his mother about his visitor. Rin lost herself in the autumn hues of fire. She looked up to the stunning gem tones in the falling leaves. Haru came back to her, a grin on his face. _

_"She's making those peanut butter M&M cookies, Rin!"_

"Haruu? What are you thinking about so hard..."

Rin asked, yawning yet again. Haru snapped back to reality and forgot the memory that he was pulling from the back of his mind. Rin needed his attention right now, and he would make sure that she was comfortable. To Haru's utter shock, Rin brought up the very day that he had just been replaying in his memory.

"Oh, Haru, do you remember that beautiful day in November when I was just fourteen? I was over at your house...after school. I was...crying, I think. I never told you why..."

Haru simply listened to his lover explain what she remembered from that day without talking. He was amazed that this coincidence had occurred but didn't want to spoil the moment of peace with Rin.

"And then, I talked to you about the books in the library that showed all of those pictures of the United States, remember? I wanted to know...what a lighthouse would be like..."

Haru nodded, trying to avoid the swelling emotion within him. He knew that as a man, he had to be strong for Rin, but he couldn't help but feel agony inside when he thought of the fact that Rin never spoke of where the bruises on her arms came from, or how she had managed to lose so much weight in such a short amount of time. She had focused on pictures of lighthouses for Haru's sake...On that day of fire in autumn.

"Haruu. Haru looks so sad..."

Rin slurred, nearly losing consciousness. Haru realized that Rin needed to be out of the bathtub immediately, and started to drain the water as Rin fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Haru tucked a sleeping Rin under the covers of their bed, waiting patiently for her to wake up, if she did. He smiled upon her peaceful countenance despite her swelling. She was being such a good girl...he needed to reward her somehow. And he vowed that he would the next day. But for now, he saw no harm in simply getting his laptop, finishing his essay on time for submission online, and then going to bed himself. Taking care of Rin was his pleasure entirely, but it was also proving to be quite...tiring.<p>

Even though Rin, who was out cold and sleeping deeply, appeared peaceful to Haru when he occasionally glanced over to her from his essay writing, she was actually falling into a dream about that day in autumn so many years ago...

_ Haru had given Rin a couple of cookies already, but she found herself devouring them because she knew that when she got home that evening, she wouldn't be eating dinner. She had gotten a phone call home recently about her failing grade in science. She didn't have time to study at home, and when she was with Haru, like right now, she didn't bother studying. She only wanted to enjoy herself while she still could..._

_"What are you thinking about, Rin? You look white."_

_Haru's voice made a 14 year old Rin snap back to reality. She blushed at Haru's cute, blank expression. She was so...different when she was with him versus school or home. She was at a happy medium here with Haru, neither in pain nor agony. She was simply...relaxed. Haru got a brilliant but childish idea upon seeing that Rin was blushing. He quickly stacked several crackers, which his mother had offered to Rin so that she could 'eat them later' and then ran into the kitchen to grab some peanut butter and a couple of butter knives. _

_Rin simply waited on his bed for him to rush in and present his idea to her. _

_"Peanut cracker stacking contest!"_

_Rin smiled, realizing that Haru's ideas, although strange for his age, were not entirely unwelcome to her. She competed with him to make the tallest tower of peanut butter and crackers before her tower fell over. Haru cheered; he had won by three layers. _

_"OK, Rin, loser has to share the stack with me!"_

_Rin smiled, allowing Haru to take half of her stack. Haru, who normally would have simply taken his share from her had she been any other person, let her take half of his to eat. While they ate, Rin decided to tell Haru about the library book that she had just started to look through. _

_"It has pictures of lighthouses in North America, Haru. I was wondering if we could go there sometime, just you and I."_

_Haru smiled at Rin and made her a promise._

_"Rin, I'll take you wherever you want to go."  
><em>

_Rin then got up from the bed, feeling ill. She didn't think that the cookies would have hurt her, but she couldn't help the spinning feeling in her head, or the fact that the floor was slowly tilting towards her..._

_Suddenly, everything went black. She heard Haru storming out of the room, screaming for his mother to come in and call an ambulance for Rin. _

_Rin woke up later that evening, when the sky was an ink black and the autumn leaves were whispering in the night, but not visible to her eyes. She moaned as the all too familiar glare of a hospital bed lamp stabbed her eyes through the black of her room. She saw a doctor shaking his head and observing charts before speaking to her..._

_"OK, Rin, you've been here at least ten times this year, and this is number 11. So, we've decided to speak to your parents about why you're in the hospital so often with unexplained injuries. We have to get to the bottom of this, Rin. You have a visitor in the meantime."_

_Rin watched as the doctor told somebody from the other side of the curtain that he could visit her for half an hour before the hospital stopped taking visitors for the night. Haru poked his white-haired head from behind the curtain and smiled at her. Rin, in a moment of carelessness, blurted out something. _

_"Haru, I need to say something about my house!"_

_Haru stopped smiling, realizing that Rin was finally about to tell him something. Normally, the subject of 'her house' never came up, and when he questioned her about it, she would turn him away from the topic entirely. _

_"Haru, the bruises on my arms are actually from-"Hello, Isuzu!"_

_Rin turned white upon seeing her superficially happy mother smiling upon her from the doorway. Haru narrowed his eyes in suspicion as Rin's 'nice' mother came to her bedside and started small talk with her daughter about what had happened at Haru's house..._

Rin woke up in a cold sweat, panting for air. Haru was sound asleep, and Rin was afraid to wake him up with the nightmarish images from her flashback. She knew that after Haru had left, her mother had become an entirely different woman. A hostile one. She didn't want her _brat _to give anything away, did she?

But Rin didn't want to bother Haru any more than she already had. What did she blab to him about in the bathtub anyway?

Haru didn't need to see Rin's distressed expression to know that she was panicking; her panting was loud in the darkened room. He switched on the lamp next to the bed to see Rin silently crying and loudly hyperventilating. He needed to help her now. Rin felt Haru's hands rubbing her back and heard him shushing her gently as she let her heart hammer out the rest of the dream. She knew that she was awake now, but she didn't want her emotions to show as clearly as they were now.

"Rin, are you breathing? Take deep, slow breaths..."

Rin gasped for air for a few more minutes.

"OK, Rin, It's going to be OK. You're juust Fine."

_He always draws out that damn word...I'm not **fine.**_

"Rin?"

_I'm actually feeling better..._

Rin thought to herself as Haru continued to shush her. She wanted to thank him, but felt that if she did, all that he had been telling her would be his to rub her face in. She could simply imagine his calm and cool countenance as he told her that he was right.

_"Rin, you know that I told you this for a few days. I'm right, you know."_

Rin punched her pillow and sneered as much as her pained mouth would allow. Haru noticed this and tried to figure out why she was suddenly scowling.

"Rin? Are you embarrassed? It's OK, I understand. Panic attacks are no reason for you to be ashamed."

"Idiot! I wasn't...oh..."

"Rin?"

"I feel dizzy again..."

"OK, Rin, just lie down and go back to sleep. Are you OK now?"

"N-NO!"

"OK, tell me what's wrong, honey."

Rin practically scoffed at the pet name that Haru had used. She didn't feel that he took her seriously when he babied her like this, but she didn't want to say anything that might put her in a more embarrassing position than she was in right now.

"Haru, please...It's fine, OK?"

"Well, if you're sure..."

"Yes, I am."

"Rin?"

"Yes, Haru?"

"Tomorrow's a new day, OK? Let's forget about this and go back to sleep."

"Thank you, Haru."

"Anytime, Rin."_  
><em>


	4. Chapter 4

Good Rin

When she woke the next morning, Rin heard gentle cluttering noises coming from the kitchen. She smelt eggs with cheese and perhaps a bit of chocolate milk floating from the warm kitchen. In a few moments, Haru came out of the lit room and into Rin's dark corner. He sat on the bed next to her and swept her hair out of her face.

Upon noticing that the swelling had started to go down, Haru smiled upon Rin.

"Rin, I have a nice breakfast waiting for you, if you'd like."

Rin didn't have any reason to push Haru away at the moment, so she got up and followed Haru to the kitchen to eat. Haru observed, simply from looking at how Rin spooned the baby food to herself, that she was feeling upset about her dream last night. Haru knew that Rin's bruising that autumn night had come from her father grabbing her, but she didn't ever get the chance to tell him until she poured her story out to him the day her parents abandoned her. But right now, he had to comfort her and try to distract her from the pain, both emotional and physical.

"Rin, do you have any idea how pretty you are?"

Rin smiled with slight amusement. Haru had always been a bit 'out of it,' but this was just funny.

"Haru, I look like a damn chipmunk!"

Haru gently took Rin's face in his hands and he chuckled as Rin stubbornly tried to shake her head so that he would let go.

"Rin, come on now."

Rin blushed as Haru leaned in close to her face. She always felt a bit childish when he took her face into his hands.

"Now, Rin, I was giving you a compliment. I just wanted to see that smile...and I wanted to tell you that if you are a very good girl today, I have quite the reward for you."

Rin's face turned bright pink as Haru kissed her on the forehead and then let her eat the rest of her baby food meal. Despite her embarrassment, Rin found herself wanting to follow Haru's directions for the rest of the day just to see what kind of surprise he had in store for her. After breakfast, Haru could tell that Rin's mind was clear of the dream last night and he simply had to keep her occupied for the rest of the day.

"Rin, you like comedy, right?"

Haru's question made Rin snap out of her daze on the couch later that morning. Rin nodded, cocking her brow to see what Haru had in store for her.

"OK, have you ever seen 'Archer' the cartoon? It's not a kid's cartoon, it's rated M for mature."

Rin leaned in, suddenly interested in Haru's offer of entertainment. Haru went over to his backpack, pulled out three DVDs, and showed Rin what he had in mind for the day.

"OK, do you want to watch the seasons of this show? It's pretty good from the first episode."

Rin nodded thoughtfully, thinking to herself.

_Haru really knows how to distract me from my pain, so I can trust him when he says that this is a good show, right?_

Rin watched as Haru put in the first DVD, turned up the volume on their TV set, and sat next to her under a blanket in the chilly room. Rin tried to resist the urge to lean on Haru, but he seemed to have another plan in mind.

"Rin, I can tell that you want to cuddle."

Rin shook her head in disbelief and denial. How was it that Haru seemed to know what she wanted when she didn't even look at him?

"Rin, come on now, don't be so shocked. I can read you like a book. Just lean on my shoulder. It's OK, you know. It's kind of...normal."

Rin blushed at the terminology that Haru was applying to her behavior, but she really didn't feel too happy about the fact that Haru could practically read her mind. She tried to rest on his shoulder lightly, but wound up in Haru's lap after he gently pulled her onto his knees. She wasn't uncomfortable, but she was slightly taken aback by how Haru wanted to be so close to her despite her appearance. Haru smiled down at his cute Rin and kissed her head before focusing on the show.

He felt Rin's body shaking with laughter from the start of the first episode. He knew that Rin loved this kind of humor: profane, a bit audacious, and ridiculously original.

"So, Rin, you love this show?"

Rin nodded, trying to conceal the fact that laughing brought a bit of pain to her swollen jaw. Haru didn't figure this out until the fourth episode in when Rin laughed out loud at the ending line. She gasped and started to tense her shoulders in pain after a few seconds of laughing loudly, and Haru instantly connected the dots.

_Shit, I should have thought of the fact that Rin is still having some pain! I have to take care of this!_

Rin pouted as Haru paused the DVD for a few minutes. She gave him a quizzical look which was soon replaced by annoyance as he went into the kitchen to fetch some much-hated items.

Firstly, Haru brought in two ice packs. Then, he brought in the painkillers and a glass of milk.

"OK, Rin, let's soothe your pain."

When Rin took the painkiller by herself, Haru simply watched as she drank the whole glass of milk afterward without protest; Rin was good to drink and eat on her own, so he had let her take the pills in front of him by herself. But he didn't want her to hold the ice packs to her face for the whole afternoon without his help. So, he approached her with the ice packs in hand and gently put them to her face. He watched her flinch noticeably upon contact and try to back away from him.

"Rin, it's OK, baby, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to put these on your face to help that swelling."

Rin bit her lip and thought of her options.

_If I push Haru away now, then it won't be a good thing...But if I let him do this, then he'll probably baby me all afternoon!_

As Rin thought this, the conscience in the back of her mind kicked in again. Haru's voice echoed in her mind.

**_Admit it. You need babying, sometimes. It's good for your damaged heart._**

"Rin?"

She looked up at Haru's inquisitive expression, which was just as blank as when he was 12 years old. She smiled as best she could and allowed him to put the ice on her cheeks. He chuckled as she tried to hold still for twenty minutes before he took it off to give her a break.

"Good Rin."

Rin bit her tongue to avoid snapping at him. She had to accept his help for the day. She knew this because it was good for both of them. On top of that, she knew that Haru was offering a reward for her if she was 'good' for the day. But as Haru came back in and asked her if she wanted to cuddle, Rin felt a tug at her heart. She thought this to be normal anxiety and crawled over to him, curling up on his lap once more. As Haru started the program again, Rin saw on the TV something that made her flash back.

In the cartoon, Archer, the main character, was beating on a woman who was actually a double agent for another spy agency in Russia. He was trying to extract a confession from the woman forcefully. Rin's mind wasn't on the cartoon, however. It was back in her childhood.

_"You little shit!"_

_"NO, Papa, NO!"_

_"SHUT UP!"_

_"OOWWW!"_

_"TELL ME! TELL ME NOW! WHERE DID YOU STEAL THAT FOOD FROM?"_

_"H-HARU'S MAMA! SHE GAVE IT TO ME!"_

_"YOU LITTLE LIAR!"_

_"OWW! STOP IT, STOP IT!"_

_Rin's father did not stop it, however, as he continued to lay blows to her arms and legs with his belt. _

In the present, Haru had stopped the DVD to see Rin's panic attack starting. He suddenly followed the normal procedure and knelt to her level where she was cowering on the floor, whimpering.

"Papa, no, papa, stop!"

"Rin, Rin, I'm here...don't be afraid, you're not there anymore. Remember where you are, love."

Haru soothed her and petted her shaking arm, which she was holding up against blows that were not being delivered in the present. Rin gasped for air and started to wail loudly. Haru then took Rin in his arms and rocked her as she sobbed loudly, trying to come back so desperately.

"Rin, Rin, shhhh...Rin...come back, It's OK to come back..."

Rin slowly calmed down, her heart no longer pounding to get out of her chest painfully, and observed where she was and what she was doing. She immediately broke down crying once more, her sobs originating from humiliation and anxiety as opposed to horror like before.

"Haru, Haru...bad, bad Rin..."

she sobbed as Haru rocked her back and forth, shushing her every time the word 'bad' escaped her lips.

"Rin, shhh...that's not true. Stop it, honey, you're not thinking clearly. Just relax..."

Rin sniffled and clung to Haru, apologizing profusely for what had just occurred. It had been ages since she had flashed back. Haru lovingly carried her into their bedroom and lay her under the sheets, tucking her in.

"OK, love, just rest now. You've had a hard time, and you're exhausted from panicking."

"Haru, I'm sorry! I'm...I won't do it again!"

Haru sighed, knowing that Rin was viewing this as a way for him to 'get rid' of her for a wile. But he was determined to let Rin know how he felt. He turned the lights off, climbed into bed with her, and massaged her back, which was turned to him.

"Now, Rin, you know that you're not being bad. You've just been panicking, that's all."

"B-But I didn't _mean _for that to happen!"

"And I'm not blaming you, baby. I'm not...come on, Rin, let's see you."

Rin sniffled and tried to compose herself as she rolled over to see Haru's saddened, clover orbs.

"OK, now, what do you see?"

Rin sniffled, knowing that Haru had never shown her any kind of hostility before. She knew that when her eyes did find their way to his, there would only be love and sadness in them. She hated to see that sadness that she might have caused.

"Rin..."

"Haru, I...see kindness."

Rin sniffled, wiping her tears quickly. For some reason, the flow was not controllable right now. That scared her to some degree, but didn't shock Haru at all.

"OK, baby, you see? Nobody's angry at you right now. And repeat after me, because I need you to remember this."

Rin wanted to smack him sharply, suddenly feeling humiliated over the whole situation.

_What kind of pussy am I if I can't even handle a cartoon?_

But Rin bit the insides of her cheeks as Haru slowly spoke the line that she had to repeat.

"I'm not a bad girl."

Rin blushed and looked away from him as she repeated in a whisper.

"I'm not...a bad girl."

"Good. Now, just relax and try to sleep. It's good for you to rest after you've gotten so worked up. I'll be right here."

Rin sniffled once more and fell into a deep, dreamless nap for several hours. Haru knew, as he watched Rin sleep solidly, that he had to give her what she deserved that evening. It would be brilliant, he thought, because it would remind Rin of his promise from all of those years ago.

_I will take you wherever you want to go, Rin._


	5. Chapter 5

Dinner and Desert

Rin woke to the scent of Haru's cooking wafting from the kitchen into the bedroom. She smiled contentedly, knowing that the incident from earlier was surely forgotten. Rin got out of the bed, made the sheets, and went into the brightly lit room that Haru was cooking mashed potatoes and cheese in. She let Haru set the table and serve her a plate of the meal he had cooked. Haru ate beside his lover and occasionally looked to her so that he could make sure that she was OK.

"So, Rin, how did you sleep?"

Haru asked after a mouthful of the cheese loaded potatoes. Rin swallowed her bite and looked to him with a bit of a smirk.

"I'm OK...but what about you?"

Haru shrugged, not really feeling any intense emotions at the moment. He really didn't know what to say.

"Eh, I'm fine. I wanted to give you something after your dinner tonight, Rin. Come on, let's finish up so that you can see what I have in store."

Rin thought back to the last time that Haru had said something like that. It had ended in an erotic night that the couple had enjoyed together. She blushed at the thought of it and finished her plate, waiting with anticipation. Haru then went over to the freezer, took out cookie dough ice cream, and scooped out two bowls for Rin and himself. Rin's jaw dropped. She loved the flavor, and she loved the fact that she was finally able to eat cold foods once more. Haru sat down and saw Rin's delighted expression as she dug into her desert.

Haru knew that Rin wasn't getting the big surprise of the evening yet, but he did want this ice cream to be a sort of appetizer for it. After he had finished eating the ice cream with Rin, he waited until she had relaxed for a few minutes as he cleaned up. He wanted to have a clean kitchen before he showed her the book that he had bought the other day.

"OK, Rin, are you ready for the final surprise of the evening?"

Rin nodded, feeling confused. Had the ice cream not been the reward? Apparently not, because Haru came in with a large book that she had once seen in the school library...

_The Sights to See in America!_

Rin gasped as Haru brought her the book and lay it in front of her. She gasped and ran her hands over the large cover in disbelief.

"H-Haru?"

"Open it to the page that i bookmarked."

Haru said, waiting for a shocked Rin to obey. She quickly did so, being careful not to tear any of the pages in zealotry, and found the page with a lighthouse on it. She read the caption and gasped. Then, she looked to the other page and saw two plane tickets.

"Haru?"

"I'm going to take you there in two months, Rin. Because I made that promise to you when we were young, didn't I?"

Rin nodded, remembering that stunning autumn day, right after she had devoured half of a peanut butter cracker stack beside Haru.

_"I'll take you wherever you want to go, Rin."_

Rin jumped on Haru, hugging him tightly and laughing. He smiled and held her back, rocking her back and forth as they watched the sun's final rays hit the opposite wall in the kitchen. In the meantime, stunning autumn leaves of fire whispered in the wind. This time, Rin could imagine them whispering a coherent message to her.

_"Sometimes, babying is good for your damaged heart."_

**_FIN_**


End file.
